Health Care Safety, Efficacy Targets of New Congressional Caucus

Reports of thousands of patient deaths from medical errors, exorbitant waste and fraud, and skyrocketing health insurance premiums are driving legislators to propose major reforms to the U.S. health care system.

Rep. Patrick Kennedy (D-R.I.), one of Congress's leading health care reform advocates, announced last month that he will co-chair a new bipartisan congressional caucus whose goal is to improve health care services. His co-chair is Rep. James Greenwood (R-Pa.), and vice chairs are Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-Calif.) and Rep. Charles Norwood (R-Ga.), according to a press release from Kennedy.

The caucus will advocate for the use of standardized information technology and science-based outcomes throughout the health care system, as well as for financial incentives that reward health care professionals who improve patient outcomes, according to the release.

The group will host briefings and forums to inform members of Congress about the importance of these issues and hold meetings for caucus members to discuss policy ideas.

The caucus will also support legislation and increased funding to achieve these goals. Kennedy plans to introduce the Quality, Efficiency, Standards, and Technology for Healthcare Transformation (QUEST) Act this month. The proposed legislation would call for the implementation of a fully electronic paperless health care system by 2015, according to his press release.

Kennedy announced the new caucus shortly before hosting a national conference on using 21st-century tools to transform the health care delivery system in his home state of Rhode Island. Former House speaker Newt Gingrich and recently appointed National Health Information Technology Coordinator David Brailer, M.D., Ph.D., were keynote speakers at the conference.

Brailer was appointed to the new position in May by Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson (Psychiatric News, June 4).

“I have high hopes that with the bipartisan support this issue has received, we can make strides forward to reform our health care system so that the current waste and inefficiency can be eliminated,” Kennedy said.“ Our ultimate goal is to save lives and money. With the help of this caucus, we can move closer to this goal.” ▪